France, (1882-1958)
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La mort du cochon
- [The death of the pig]
- (ndg.), gouache on paper
- 9 x 11 in. (23 x 28 cm.)
- Private collection
-
Truie allaitant ses petits
- [Sow suckling her little ones]
- (ndg.), gouache on paper
- 11.8 x 9 in. (30 x 23 cm.)
- Private collection
-
Chez le naturaliste
- [At the taxidermist]
- (ndg.), casein and charcoal on paper
- 9.5 x 11.8 in. (30 x 24 cm.)
- Private collection
-
Petits cochons roses éveillés
- [Little pink pigs awake]
- (ndg.), gouache on paper
- 11.4 x 17.3 in. (29 x 44 cm.)
- Private collection
-
Petits cochons roses endormis
- [Little pink pigs asleep]
- (ndg.), gouache on paper
- 11.4 x 17.3 in. (29 x 44 cm.)
- Private collection
-
Trois Bretons et la truie
- [Three Britons and a sow]
- (ndg.), charcoal on paper
- 11.8 x 7.9 in. (30 x 20 cm.)
- Private collection
About the Artist:
Mathurin Méheut (1882-1958) was a French painter, ceramicist, engraver, and etcher. Méheut best known for his depictions of Breton scenes, the sea, and nature. Méheut was born into a family of artisans in Lamballe, BrittanyHe attended the École des Beaux-Arts de Rennes and the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
From 1910-1912 Méheut collaborated with naturalists at the Roscoff Marine Biology Station to depict marine life. The result was a book, Etude de la mer, flore et faune de la Manche et de l’Océan, as well as 450 works exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 1913.
In 1921 Méheut became the Marine Department’s official painter and in 1925 began decorating commercial passenger ships, including the SS Normandie. Between world wars, he illustrated books for authors including Colette, Maurice Genevoix, and Pierre Loti, and created ceramics at Henriot in Quimper, at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, and at Villeroy & Boch in Sarre.
During the 1940s he taught at the École des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, served as decorator for the Institut de Géologie de Rennes, and completed his celebrated illustrations of Florian Le Roy’s Vieux Métiers Bretons. The Musée Mathurin Méheut in Lamballe, created in 1972, preserves his work. [DES-12/15]